Our New Family Pet

Is some sort of strange cross between a termite, a woodchuck and a beaver. It's a Terchuckver (ter-chuck-ver). He's made a home in Caleb's crib. I present to you Exhibits A and B.


Well, I couldn't have that beautiful *allegedly* Lifetime crib (the crib that I had planned to use for not only Caleb but also his future brothers and sisters and eventually as a headboard and footboard for a full size bed) being turned into firewood after only 9 months of use! So, I went searching online for something to save the crib rails. I first came across this number, but I just couldn't see spending over $40 for something that I could probably make on my own. Then I came across this, but decided that I wasn't really ready to pull out my sewing machine and find out if the noise is enough to wake Caleb during his naps. So I continued searching for a no-sew option. And I came across this. PERFECT! Well, sort of. I ended up adapting it to my own needs and skill level and came up with this.


I bought 2 yards of some fleece fabric on sale for 50% off and some fusible batting at JoAnn Fabric. If you had a crib bumper that you were no longer using, I could definitely see scavenging that for the necessary fabric (and possibly batting) for this project. I measured my crib rails, ironed on the fusible batting to the middle of the fabric and then cut strips on the portion of the fabric that did not have the batting.


If you look closely at the picture below, you can see the batting in the middle.


Then I tied the pieces around the crib rail using the fringed pieces.


I'm really happy with the way it turned out, and it was about 1/4 of the price I would have paid purchasing a pre-made version that really wouldn't have worked with our crib. I was even able to squeeze the fish tank thing back on over the rail.


Now, talk to me in a few weeks/months after my little durability inspector has had a chance to test it out.

Proving Me Wrong Again

This is what happened not more than 5 milliseconds after I said, "There's no way he can get up the steps with the technique that he uses."



We're in trouble now!

Y3W

and for those who may have missed it, the Dadada video now works.

Happy Father's Day Da-da-da-da-da-da

Well, I don't think that Andrew could have asked for a better Father's Day. It started out EARLY with our 5am wake up call. My parents had arrived in town the day before and as planned, we headed to the zoo on Sunday morning once we were all put together. This time at the zoo we took a different route and visited the children's walk portion. It was a much better experience for Caleb as he was able to see so many more animals up close. They have farm area where we got to see horses, chickens, sheep, cows, roosters, turkeys, peacocks, rabbits, and a whole bunch of other farm type animals. They also have a petting zoo, which I'm sure we'll enjoy visiting when C is a bit older. Unfortunately, no pictures of the zoo because my camera ate them (errr...I accidentally deleted them before saving to the computer).

After the zoo, we spent a relaxing afternoon at home. Just after Caleb ate his dinner, Andrew came walking back into the room and into Caleb's view. Out of nowhere he starts saying "dadadadada." Never before had he made the "da" sound. I'd been claiming for weeks that he's been saying "mama" but no one would admit it until after he said "dada." So now it seems as though Caleb has his first two words down.

Here's the video of Caleb's dada. Andrew is the one with the camera. You can see that when Caleb turns to look at him is when he starts saying the famous words.

Excited for Bathtime

Recently Caleb has started getting VERY excited when bathtime rolls around. Daddy goes upstairs to turn on the bath water, and as soon as Caleb hears the running water (all the way downstairs) he freaks out.. I carry him up the stairs as he kicks his legs with great force. When we reach the top of the stairs I set him down and this is what happens (sorry, another cell phone video)...



This video definitely does not begin to show the speed with which he takes off down the hall toward the bathroom. We had to squeeze around Daddy when we got to the bathroom door, but normally Caleb runs all the way into the bathroom and turns the corner to the tub before making an attempt to climb in. The whole thing is absolutely adorable. I must remember to cherish these days so I can look back fondly on them in the not too distant future when we're putting him in the bathtub kicking and screaming.

Y3W

I caved and gave Caleb a taste of my lime Otter Pop. He was...

Frosty For A Cause

This Saturday and Sunday Wendy's will be donating 50 cents to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption for every Frosty sold! I feel so blessed to have had an easy time getting pregnant with Caleb then followed by an uneventful pregnancy, labor and delivery and now having such an incredibly healthy and happy baby boy! Many are not so lucky and turn to adoption for a child of their own, and the children who are in foster care are waiting for a family of their own. Please join me in supporting this cause that helps to bring adoring parents together with hopeful children. Besides, who can resist a yummy frosty?!

What's Up Doc?

Caleb had a great well visit with Dr. Curran this morning. It was our first time meeting with the new doctor, and I have to say that I'm quite pleased. He really took an interest in Caleb, championed the fact that I'm still breastfeeding, answered all of my questions thoroughly, and didn't act like I was wasting his time...a welcome change from our prior experiences. When we first arrived in the waiting room, two sisters who were in the waiting room couldn't get enough of Caleb. They were about 10 and 8 years old, and I'd say that they're going to go home and ask their mom and dad if they can have a baby brother!

When we got back to the exam room we found out that Caleb has been doing a lot of growing since his last appointment.
Height: 29.5 inches (90th percentile)
Weight: 19lbs, 10oz (50th percentile)
Head Circumference: 17.25 inches (10th percentile)

When Dr. Curran walked into the room, he was singing "Happy Almost Birthday To You." I was NOT ready for that! Knock on wood, the next time we go to the doctor Caleb will be 1 year old. He can feel free to sing Happy Birthday then, but not a moment sooner. After that he held a little conversation with Caleb. He just kept going and going and Caleb just stared at him. Finally, Dr. Curran said, "Most 9 month olds are screaming at me by now." Apparently Caleb is pretty open when it comes to meeting new people. He definitely does not get freaked out by strangers. Shy, yes. Scared, no.

The doctor noted that Caleb is hitting all of his milestones and in some cases is ahead of the curve including crawling, standing, cruising, and pointing (just noticed this at the office today). Apparently pointing is a big one because babies who are autistic don't point. It is a sign that they are engaging with other people. So, (as we all already knew) Caleb is doing great and growing right on track. He's an incredibly happy and adorable baby. And lest you think that I'm just bragging because he's MY adorable son, there wasn't a single nurse, office assistant, or person in the waiting room who didn't say so too!

9 Months

I can't believe that 9 months ago I was sitting in a hospital room with my teeny tiny baby boy who was only three hours old. I blinked and now he's a little person with a big personality. We go to the pedi for our well visit tomorrow, so I'll be posting more about what my little man has been up to in the last month after that. For now, you just get the pictures.


Looking a lot like Memaw in this one.

Weekend Recap

Our first weekend without a home baseball game to attend ended up being filled with lots of television sporting events. Friday night the Pittsburgh Penguins played in game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals. Andrew is a big fan of the Penguins, so we were pretty excited about it. Caleb only has one Penguins outfit that just so happens to be a 6 month size. He actually never wore it because it is a short sleeved onesie, and it was too cold for that kind of attire back when he was wearing that size. Well, I decided to dig it out of his closet and see if I could make it fit just for this occasion. A little stretching got the job done, and the Penguins got the job done with a HUGE win over Detroit to bring home the Stanley Cup.

Saturday started the College World Series in Omaha. Although our Devils wouldn't be playing until Sunday, we were anxious to see how the other games would turn out. So, Caleb got decked out in one of his many baseball outfits and watched more TV in one day (well, he wasn't really watching, but it was on in the backgroud) than he's watched his entire life. Here he is all decked out.


Sunday we {Caleb} woke up at 5am, so we decided to take advantage of the early start and head to a park before the weather warmed. We took a nice walk around the lake at the park and then headed to the playground. I wasn't sure exactly what we'd do there, but I did want to introduce it to Caleb. We ended up finding a small slide, and Andrew was able to convince me to let C go down alone. HE LOVED IT!

Later we found a slightly larger slide and sent C down alone again, but this time he was laying down. He had a blast, but we had to cut him off for fear of tummy issues later.

During Caleb's afternoon nap, I ran out to the store, so Andrew took advantage of the free time and built Caleb a weaving, winding train track with the IKEA set we had purchased at Christmas. We obviously didn't think that he'd really play with it, but we sat him in the middle for a few pictures. He loves watching the train go around the track especially if you make choo choo noises!

30 Seconds later..."I didn't anything. Talk to that bear over there."

**Notice the cat cuddled up in the "cave" (top left corner of the picture). He just loves Caleb's stuff!

Y3W

Who needs three words? This picture speaks for itself.

Playdate at Our House

On Wednesday, Caleb and I hosted playgroup at our house. We had a great time will all the moms and babies who showed up. This is as close to a group shot as we got.


Beautiful Charlotte!


Beautiful Emma!


The favorite toy of the day.

Caleb wasn't so excited about sharing. Guess we'll have to work on that one.

And...yeah, he's a biter!

Reading

We Are (almost) The Champions!

I started back to work this week. Although I'm only doing 20 hours, the beginning of the week was pretty busy so sadly it has taken me until Wednesday to post the fabulous news that ASU won their Super Regional series this weekend with back-to-back wins over Clemson on Saturday and Sunday. Caleb joined us for the game on Saturday, and Sunday GranB and Pop Pop babysat so that Andrew and I could enjoy a full 9 innings! COLLEGE WORLD SERIES HERE WE COME!

Y3W

Check Out My Teeth

Click on the picture to enlarge it and get a glimpse at Caleb's two bottom teeth.

My Little Introvert

Surprise, surprise! Caleb is an introvert just like his mommy and daddy. Every time we go to playgroup, he wanders off away from the group to play by himself. Today he decided to look out the window for a while. What was he looking at? Dirt!